Dresden Day 2 ... At the ZOO!

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FRIDAY!!!

Last day in Dresden ... we leave tomorrow for Berlin. But since day number one was so fabulous, we've no doubt that today will be equally wonderful. Yesterday we bought some postcards, and I was going to write to my family "I'm having a wonderful time!" But that really didn't adequately express the experiences Beth and I were having. The only thing I could write that seemed to do justice was "I'm having the time of my life!" Yeah, that pretty much does the trick!

We had talked about taking a train out of the city about 45 minutes or so to do some country hiking and site seeing. We saw photos of some splendid rock formations, breath-taking views, etc. But then as we looked at the map of Dresden we discovered there was a ZOO! right there in the heart of the city! We love zoos, love animals, and would have enough train travel by the end of the trip ... so "Decision Made!"

The zoo was about an hour trek or so, over the Elbe River and through the old city. It was lovely to see everything again. You kind of get a better feel for a city when you're able to pass the same spots several times (and not just because you're lost and going around in circles).

As we got closer to the Gross Garten (the Big Garden ... aptly named since it's a ... well, ... big garden) we passed through a sort of farmers market. It reminded me of a mix between the county fair vendors and the street markets of Central America! They had everything: meats, cheeses, hats, scarves, breads, shoes, curtains, fabric, more meats and cheeses, etc.

We made it to the Gross Garten and had a nice stroll to the heart of it, where sits a palace. Wouldn't it be marvelous to have a house that looks absolutely spectacular from every angle!

As we continued searching for the zoo we knew we were getting close with the smell of manure. Ah, the sweet familiar fragrance of home and work. (What is it with Beth and I and not being able to stay away from animals?) Unfortunately we were at the BACK of the zoo, and thinking it better NOT to enter through the "forbidden" gate (even though it was open!), we walked along the street til we got to the main entrance.

Oh what fun awaits one at the ZOO! I'm going to let the photos tell most of the stories, but needless to say we had a blast and headed home happy and tired.

We picked up food stuff to make a salad and pasta dinner back at the hostel, had our traditional glorious naps before eating, and then got things set to head off to Berlin tomorrow! It'll be an "early" day for us, we have to be at the train station before 9am! And it's about an hour walk from our hostel. We went to bed right after dinner, just to make sure we got enough sleep! 😊

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Photos

ELEPHANTS!!!!!!
We loved elephants!!! They had 4 adults and a baby! Awww SO CUTE!!!

Giraffes!!!!!!!!!
OK, when I first saw the two giraffes I only saw the larger one moving, so I seriously thought the other was a statute. Huh? I thought. Maybe they couldn't get another giraffe, so the statue is kind of like a replacer or something. Hee hee hee. And then it MOVED! "Whoa! That statue's alive!" Right. Never know what kind of craziness with happen at the zoo!

Kangaroos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At first they were just "walking" around, using their front feet to slowly going a step or two ahead. Then we said they must be lazy. That's when they starting bouncing around just to prove to us they weren't. :) I love reverse psychology!

FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here's another hot chocolate, cappuccino, und some wursts. Delicious! And the birds came back to see me!!! But I was a good girl this time and didn't try to be friendly or anything!

CAMELS!!!!!
We wanted rides ... and almost got them too, except one of the zoo workers yelled at us just as we were climbing on. I tried to pretend I was just a dumb American, but it didn't help. hee hee hee (JK)

STRANGE LOOKING ANIMALS!!!!!
We tried to figure out what these two interesting creatures were, but is was pretty difficult. We watched them for a long time. A couple times they went into fits of uncontrollable hysteria and I'm sure should have been tranquilized. I know a zoo is suppose to allow us to have a glimpse of the wild ... but this was just a little bit too scary!

GOATS!!!!!!!!!!!!
"baaaaaaaaaaaaaa"

LEOPARDS!!!!!!!!!!!
There were two of these super-cool cats that were patrolling their pen. Ain't nothing gonna go down on their watch!

ORANGUTANS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Whoa! This boy was BIG and his face was crazy!!! (I mean that in the nicest way possible!) Beth and I sat for a while watching these guys interact and then get fed. The largest one was absolutely mammoth!

Comments

[puck]

What is the name of this really awesome animal?